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Market Yourself by Teaming Up with a Nonprofit

Posted on 03/18/2013

You are part of running a business, and that business needs revenue to keep things happening. That’s the cold hard truth.

But this truth doesn’t mean money is the only thing that you care about. As a business professional, you’re just like the rest of us–you have dreams, aspirations and hopes for the world. You have beliefs about how the world could be a better place. If you’re like the rest of us in the business world, you believe in your product or service and its ability to actually improve people’s lives–otherwise, you wouldn’t be in your line of work.

Teaming up with a nonprofit organization–sometimes known as “cause marketing”–is one way to reunite your altruistic side with your pragmatic, business self. While there are a ton of great reasons to unite philanthropy with your marketing efforts, we’ll name just a few.

It Helps You
We’ll start with the least altruistic reason: it helps you! Customer research indicates 79% of Americans say they’d be likely to switch from one brand to another (price being about equal) if the other brand is associated with a good cause. In other words, the market rewards those brands who care about something beyond their own, immediate profits. Consumers want to feel like they’re making a positive difference in the world, not just buying products for their own good.

It Helps a Nonprofit
One big difference between corporate giving and cause marketing is a long term commitment to a marketing campaign, not a single, tax-deductible donation. This means you have an opportunity to significantly grow a nonprofit’s brand and their long-term success. Sure, your business can give a charity a donation, but through cause marketing, you can help them connect with hundreds or thousands of long-term donors, instead. Which do you think has a greater impact?

It Helps the World
Business, at its heart, is about finding solutions to problems. Your business has unique resources and people with unique skills. Customers trade their money for the specific value you can add to their lives–and their lives are improved. Partnering with a cause is just another way you can use your business to add value to other people’s lives, thanks to the unique reach and market your business captures.

Use your marketing prowess for good: to help a cause you believe in grow.